Dancing Mad
by fenril
Summary: cloti and renoxtifa. story of how that works out, what happens when cloud finds out about reno. how'd reno even end up w tifa.
1. Default Chapter

wow, i haven't written fics in a looooooooong time so sorry if i'm not very descriptive and if the spellings are off (also been writing at crazy times in the morning). anyway, hope you enjoy this. btw, the title, dancing mad, has nothing to do w/ the story. its just the name of a song in FF6 by nobuo uematsu (giving credit here) that i like. infact, disregard all the titles, they don't affect the stories in any way.  
disclaimer: i don't own ff7 or anything ff7 related.  
  
"It's All Luck"  
  
The sun stretched its rays across the planet and covered it in bright warmth. Whole towns awoke with the call of roosters while others continued to slumber. Upper and lower Junon were no different from the latter towns, most likely because there were no roosters and that the sun didn't shine into the industrial city so early in the morning. Being built on the west side of a cliff had its advantages however not many citizens saw them.  
  
It was rare to have sunshine flowing into a Junon home, especially in the lower part. It was considered a luxury to see the sun, to feel the warmth of nature. Only a certain few in Upper Junon had apartments where sun would shine in during the afternoon. They were reserved for those who could pay and Reno of the Turks was no exception.  
  
The sky was bright with only a few clouds. The bedroom was located on the top floor of the building with a large picture window that showed the expanse of the sea. Reno's eyes opened and wandered towards the clock. 10:27 A.M.  
  
Ugh.  
  
It was one of the first things they trained you to do when you joined the Turks: to wake up before the alarm. While seemingly useless and also like some kind of torture, it was immensely helpful when trying to assassinate or kidnap someone. Three minutes was more than enough for a Turk (with the exception of Elena probably) to go next door and slit a throat or two. Reno sighed and stretched his arm to turn the alarm off before it sounded. He didn't want to wake the sleeping form that was partially lying on top of him.  
  
He looked over to the feminine figure. She was sleeping on her stomach but her head was turned towards him. Strands of hair had fallen over her face during the night which Reno now took the time to move away, he knew how annoying those strands could be. Her face was like a porcelain doll: pale, smooth... pretty much perfect and flawless. She appeared dead almost. The only thing that told him she was still alive was the warmth of her stomach, which lied atop his right forearm. The girl's right arm lied lifelessly on his bare chest with her hand close to his left shoulder.  
  
Reno seldom slept in the same bed as her. This was only an exception. He knew how emotionally fragile she was and did not want her to completely lose it by smothering her with his presence.  
  
_"Oh man, how'd I even end up like this?"_ Reno mulled over in his head for the ten billionth time. Every creature of the male species pawn after her and only dream of a moment like this. Although the girl is fully clothed, she's sleeping right _next_ to him! And better yet, she's practically on top of him! A grin began to form at the last thought. _"Damn I'm lucky..."_  
  
He slowly slid out of the bed and made his way to a pair of black slacks and slightly wrinkled button-down shirt. While still buttoning up his shirt and heading out the door towards the kitchen, a russle sounded behind him.  
  
"Good morning." The girl said still sleepy.  
  
"Mornin'." Reno slowed his pace. "I'm gonna go make some food. Ya hungry?"  
  
The girl only responded with a mumble which he took for a 'yes' and then continued his way out.  
  
Bland scrambled eggs, partially burnt toast, and soggy cereal adorned the kitchen table. Reno grimaced at his failed attempt to make decent food, again. "I hope the coffee turned out okay at least," he said underneath his breath.  
  
"Wha?" The girl glided into the kitchen. She had on a pair of jeans and black wifebeater that clung nicely to her form. "Did you say something?"  
  
"Ah! no." Reno's face colored slightly over the subpar breakfast. "But I do have to say you're looking much better."  
  
Now it was her turn to blush. "Oh, it's nothing. A goodnight's rest does wonders." She sat down at the table and looked at the food.  
  
_"Did her eye just twitch?"_ Reno thought he saw something after she sat down. "No, your body always seemed to have incredible healing powers. I mean, that time Sephiroth slashed you? I didn't see it but from what I've heard and from the scar? That kind of healing isn't in everyone."  
  
Her blush deepened. "Luck was with me... Now stop and eat this crap with me, Reno!" She grinned to lighten the command.  
  
Reno pretended to be hurt and had a shocked expression on his face. "Tifa! You know I only use the **best **ingredients there are!"  
  
Tifa shook her head and motioned towards the food. "Then you better eat some, too. It'd be a waste if you didn't." She smiled again. Reno looked at her for a moment longer and at her smile. It really could light up a room. He sat down and shoveled some melted cereal in his mouth. _"Damn I'm lucky..."_  
  
yeah, not much in terms of a cliffhanger, always been bad at those, but the next chapter should be a bit better... i hope (cloud will be in it, if that helps). reviews? please?  
  



	2. Flowing Destiny

**important**: please pay attention b/c i will be explaining the timeline system. this chapter, chap.2, occurs way before chap.1 but after meteor. Chap. 3, thats right, three, follows chapter 1. Chapter 4, four, will follow chap.2. get it kinda? all even chapters are events in the past while odd chapters are the present. its all in chronological order though, in their respective time. okay, if you still don't get it, keep reading. if you get it, just skip to the next paragraph. so lets say chap.1 takes place in the year 2000. Then chap.2 takes place in the year 1995. Chap. 3 takes place in the yr 2001 while chap.4 will be yr. 1996. i will not have chap.2 be 1995 and chap.4 as 1994 and same goes w/ the odd-numbered chapters. of course the time difference will not be years, more like days or hours. phew! i hope that explains it.  
okay! so in brief review, the odd chapters are the present, even chapters are the past. keep this in mind w/ each new chapter but i'll remind you guys just in case.  
disclaimer: you know the drill.  
  
"Flowing Destiny"  
  
_Some time after Meteor...not too long after  
_  
"Cloud, why can't you stay?... Why _won't_ you stay?" Tifa's voice filled with hurt. "It's been so long already, why now?"  
  
Since Meteor stopped until now, Cloud and Tifa lived in a thriving city near the Chocobo Ranch. With the destruction of Midgar, many people migrated away and formed new towns and cities. Cloud and Tifa resided in one such city. They lived together mostly to split the bills, at least on the outside, however it was much more to Tifa.  
  
As time passed, Cloud's memories began to become more solid while Zach's influences faded away. And with Zach, Aerith faded as well. Not so much in memory but in feelings. Tifa felt like she finally won. It was such a rude awakening when she realized Cloud's feelings towards Aerith but now, Tifa felt like she could relax until...  
  
"I think I need some time off." Cloud announced in a sort of daze.  
  
"'Time off'? Why are you telling me like that? I'm not you're boss, Cloud." Tifa gave him a strange look.  
  
Cloud shook his head. "No, I mean from here. I need time to think things through... whether I made the right decision..s or not." There was a slight hesitation in the plural of 'decision' which Tifa immediately picked up.  
  
"What? I don't understand." Tifa's hands began to shake and she had to put down her drink.  
  
Cloud looked off to the side to avoid looking at Tifa, who obviously was hurt. "I just gotta go." It was obviously hard on Cloud as well, just not hard enough.  
  
"Cloud, why can't you stay?... Why _won't_ you stay? It's been so long already, why now?" (now we're back to where we started...kinda)  
  
There was a long silence and everything seemed to freeze. "I want to know I made the right choice." Cloud didn't bother covering it up. He knew Tifa knew why he was leaving. "I know there's no way to get _her_ back but I want to be sure that I wasn't supposed to spend my life with someone else." Tifa's eyes welled up with tears but managed to keep them in her eyes. "I... uh.. Look... please Tifa. I don't know how this is going to turn out but you never know. Maybe I'll find out we are meant to be together forever." Cloud stepped closer to her which she responded to by taking a step away.  
  
"Cloud.. I've waited for so long... I've watched you for so long and been through so much with you already. I've stuck by your side even when no one else would. Isn't that enough to prove to you? Why can't you forget her?!" Tifa's anger started to come out.  
  
"I don't feel like that about her anymore but what if I should be with someone else altogether?" Cloud pleaded.  
  
Tifa was in shock. "I can't believe this. What's with you?!" In a daze, Tifa walked out of the apartment with Cloud quickly trailing behind.  
  
"Tifa, wait!" Cloud clutched her slender wrist and pulled her in to embrace her. "I just want to make sure... I'm mostly sure, really. But with what's happened to me before where I was sure of one thing but it turned out completely different, I can't be too sure right now."  
  
Tifa stood there, letting Cloud wrap his arms around her. _"Why can't it stay like this?"_ "It's different though. This isn't talking about memories, it's talking about whether or not you really want to be with me." As much as she hated to, Tifa gently pushed him away. There was another long silence. "Go. Just go."  
  
"Tifa--"  
  
"I said go!" She immediately ran off with a tear rolling down her cheek. Cloud didn't bother pursuing and went back to the apartment to pack.  
  
yeah, pretty stupid chapter but i needed to present the situation somehow. btw, the title for this chapter is another song title, its the ending theme from zone of the enders 1 (just giving some props). title has nothing to do w/ story but i don't want someone to breathe down my face about plagerism. sorry about the short incoherent chapter however longer and probably incoherent chapters are on their way! if anything isn't clear, feel free to drop me a line or just review the story.  



	3. Close To Me

sorry for the long wait, kept putting it off for some reason. just as a reminder, this chapter occurs after the 1st chapter. title of the chapter is another song title by the Cure (great band).  
disclaimer: (insert generic disclaimer here)

Close To Me

"Come on, Tiffy, we're gonna be running late." Reno stood at the front door calling. _"Why do women take so long?"_

Tifa sped-walked out of the bedroom wearing what she did at breakfast, only now she had on boots and fighting gloves. She also added two sets of earrings: silver hoops and diamond studs that Reno gave her as a present. (That's right, she got her ears pierced again.) While she did trim her hair so that it ended mid-back, Reno still wondered how she clamped it all in a tiny hair accessory.

Reno looked his usual self: professional yet messy. You could tell he never expected to lose a fight in his outfits and he never really _has_, he's still alive, isn't he? "Sorry, I couldn't find my gloves." Tifa zoomed out the door and then stood in the hall catching her breath.

Reno let out smirk and locked up the apartment. "Long as I'm around, you don't need to be fightin'." Tifa gave him a sideways look and turned her head so he couldn't see her trying to hide a smile.

"So cocky." Tifa mumbled with her head still turned. Reno shrugged and brushed her slightly in passing to indicate they were leaving. She ran up beside him and nonchalantly slipped her arm around his.

They made their way down to the garage and had the valet guy fetch the black Corvette. The car arrived in timely fashion, purring and stunning. After tipping the guy, the pair climbed in and zoomed off in the direction of the port. Sceneries of Upper Junon flew by as Reno pushed and easily passed the speed limit. The car ride was quiet but instead of talking, they simply enjoyed each other's company. Once they arrived at the ship, another man took the car after Reno stressed the direct relation of the man's life to the well-being of the car. Had Tifa not stopped him, he would have gone into the poor man's family.

Tifa and Reno walked hand-in-hand towards the entrance of the ship. The sailor that guarded the door to ensure only paid passengers went in was obviously new to the crew. The sailor was bright-eyed and smiling. "Tick...ets?" His voice slowed as he saw the Nibelheim girl appear behind Reno. Reno only gave a quizzical look while Tifa rolled her eyes. _"Woah, how'd this guy end up with a girl like her??"_ the sailor wondered.

Reno's confused moment passed into an annoyed one at the question, "Tickets?" Reno stood completely straight, let go of Tifa's hand, and gave a sharp tug on the collar of his dress shirt as if to get out any wrinkles. Now it was the young sailor with the confused expression, not picking up on the "uniform" Reno wore.

"Yes, tickets. I can't let you board without 'em." The sailor became a bit more cocky and made eye contact with Tifa, relaying a this-guy's-so-stupid look. Reno's eyes narrowed at the boy's lack of recognition and at the eye contact given to Tifa, mostly the Tifa thing.

"AHEM!" Reno cleared his throat. The sailor pulled his eyes away from Tifa and glared at Reno for the rude intrusion. Reno merely looked back, unaffected by the boy's attempt at intimidation. Peppered with sarcastism, Reno asked "Oh, I'm sorry, we're you two done conversing?"

The boy sailor made a snide remark under his breath that no one caught.

"Sorry, could you repeat that?" Reno stepped closer while the sailor moved away, unfortunately he couldn't back away very far because there were crates behind him. Reno closed in and eventually had his face only a few inches away from the boy's face. In a frightningly low voice, Reno whispered, "Do you know who I am?" The boy didn't respond in any way.

Tifa looked on with interest as to what Reno was saying to make the sailor appear smaller and smaller, very similar to the incident with the guy that took care of Reno's beloved car. Before she could stop Reno from permanently scarring the sailor, Reno motioned for her to go onboard while doing likewise. Tifa quickly walked towards the ship and only glanced at the crumpled sailor whose eyes could probably fit one Huge Materia in each. She joined with Reno again and couldn't help but ask, "What'd you say to him?"

"Hm? Oh, nothing much. Just some stuff on the Turks." Reno shrugged it off and made his way to the deck, leaving Tifa to piece together the actual conversation.

On the deck, Reno paid a visit to the captain and his senior crew. Such visits were necessary to ensure a safe, timely, and comfortable voyage across sea. Tifa climbed up and looked out towards the horizon. The sun blazed brightly overhead however a cool sea wind flowed through the boat. Tifa sat down on a crate and continued to look ahead while allowing her mind to wander.

Reno passed by and noticed a shivering yet oblivious Tifa. He took off the jacket of his suit and draped it across her shoulders. She looked up and smiled while pulling the dark blue fabric around her. "You won't be cold?" Tifa inquired _after_ she made herself comfortable.

"No, I'll be fine." Reno sat next to her and put his arm around her to keep her warm. "It's a short trip anyway."

yeah, not much of a chapter. i'm still buliding up to the crazy part/moment of the entire story? so i hope you guys found some satisfaction in this chapter


	4. Words That We Couldn't Say

wow! haven't updated in a long time. sorry, things for me got pretty busy. anyway, here's chap. 4 which follows the events of chap. 2.  
Disclaimer: you know how it goes

Words That We Coudn't Say

It was dusk when Tifa staggered back to the apartment complex. In light of Cloud's departure, she decided to have herself a few drinks. She rarely drank but she thought she would make an exception today, it was a special occasion, wasn't it?

She opened the door to the apartment, all the lights were off and the last of the sun's rays were fading. Tifa brushed her hand against the wall for the switch which took several minutes in her intoxicated state. After she shut and managed to lock the front door, she fell to the wooden floor unconscious.

When Tifa woke the following morning, she found herself in a pool of vomit. _"I don't remember that..."_ Although when trying to remember anything from the previous night, her head throbbed uncontrollably, forcing her clean up her mess in a brainless state. Her clothes soaked up some of the vomit and her hair trapped some of it as well. She threw the two items into the wash and hopped into a nice long and hot shower but not before taking some aspirin.

While showering, she scrubbed her hands and felt a tang of pain. _"Hm? When did I scrape my knuckles?"_ Finally a memory wiggled its way out. Clips of a fight popped out.

_"Hey baby, you wanna a drink?" A man's slightly slurred words slipped into her ear. By now Tifa was tipsy. _

_"Get away from me." Tifa wouldn't even look at the middle aged man. The man was persistent and placed his hand on her thigh."Do you **mind**??" Before the man could even answer or blink, Tifa's left fist slammed into the man's nose. He fell off the stool and into the drunkard next to him. A brawl soon ensued in the entire bar and Tifa wasn't spared her share._

_"Oh yeah..."_ Tifa rubbed her knuckles a bit more to get the encrusted blood off and wash away the events of last night.

Neither Cloud nor Tifa drank so she did not have anything to make a remedy with inside the living quarters. She would have to deal with the hangover the old fashion way and learn her lesson. Tifa walked over to the television in hopes for something on that would keep her from thinking.

When she sat down on the leather couch and reached for the remote control, a letter sat underneath the remote. Tifa looked at it confused, trying to remember if it was there before she left. To help refresh her memory, she decided to just read it and see if it was familiar.

_Dear Tifa, I didn't want to leave without saying something. We ended on a bad note before._

Tifa desperately jogged her memory. _"Oh right, I didn't come back to see Cloud leave."_ After Tifa told Cloud angrily to go, she went straight to the bar and stayed there, drinking, until the fights began. After she and a few others were unspokenly proclaimed champions, the manager kicked them all out and Tifa staggered on home.

_I'm sorry I'm leaving but I really think I have to. I won't say more about that subject now, you already know it anyway. I'll have my PHS but I changed the number. Barret has my number but I told him not to give you the number unless it's dire. I know how you can be and I want to do this without distractions. Please don't hate me for this. You've always been there for me so I hope I'll see you on the other side. Love, Cloud._

Tifa stared at the letter. "At least he wrote 'love' at the end..." she grumbled. She crumpled the letter and threw it into the garbage can.

yeah, its short, sorry i should be able to update this sooner now b/c i have more of it written. title of this chapter is taken from a song by yoko kanno. feedback is always nice


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